It could all be so cliché. Period-piece coming-of-age movie all lit in nostalgic warm tones, the story of the writer as a young man amidst an unconventional but loving family, a trailer set to freakin’ “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard.†But then we get Ben Affleck in a parade of beautiful polyester knits, defying rhotic norms and telling this kid “you can become a writah.†There’s also Christopher Lloyd as an ornery old grump, and we’re reminded of how much we’ve missed seeing him in stuff. And there’s Lily Rabe in wigs both young and old as her lead-character son based on The Tender Bar memoirist J.R. Moehringer grows into a strapping and Yale-bound Tye Sheridan. This film adaptation of the 2005 novel is directed by George Clooney and we’re kind of shocked it’s not dropping on Amazon Prime Video until January 7, because this would be such an easy parent-pleaser watch over the holidays. Ah well, now we’ll get Uncle Affleck all to ourselves.
Ben Affleck’s Got That Uncle Bod in The Tender Bar Trailer
